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Finding New Ways to Stay Active as an Adult

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Staying active when you’re young is easy. Your school days probably included some sport, and childhood fun and games usually have some form of running or exercise naturally included. As we get older, however, building in that recommended 30 minutes of daily activity recommended by healthcare experts becomes a conscious effort, particularly if we’re stuck behind a desk for our entire workday. Here are a few fun and enjoyable ways to get moving and stay active as an adult.

Start Walking or Jogging

Walking or jogging doesn’t need to be a mindless chore if you choose it as your exercise. A good pair of workout headphones and a podcast or audiobook can turn a walk into some quiet time to catch up on current affairs or engross yourself in a good book. Apps for your phone can also turn running into a game, like the popular Zombies Run game for smartphones that has you fleeing from virtual zombies in a pursuit to collect valuable supplies for your post-apocalyptic base of operations. Don’t just walk or run, use the time to do something fun!

A Stationary Bike That Can See the TV

This is a suggestion as old as time, and it does require a bike that is quite quiet, but putting a stationary or spinning bike in view of the TV, or getting one that you can mount your tablet onto and watch your favorite tv series while getting in your 30 minutes, is going to make the time go by much quicker. Virtual race applications like the Zwift are also gaining in popularity to make these sessions less staring at a wall and more dynamic and fun.

Take Up a Sport

Joining a sports club, or simply taking up a sport to practice at home, is a fun and dynamic way of getting in your exercise and you might just meet some friends along the way. Baseball, America’s past time, is a popular choice for a sport as an adult because you can practice all year long and injuries are rare. There are also many practice products available for your backyard that you can use to hone your skills while also getting active and spending some time outside. If you have kids, a game of catch is always a hit too!

Go for a Weekend Hike

Hiking is a wonderful way to get away from screens, technology and the hustle and bustle of daily life and just slow down for an afternoon while you amble through the hills or forests and just enjoy the natural world. Strap on some good hiking shoes and hit the trails for your exercise. A trail with a good lunch spot will spur you on and if you’re feeling more adventurous then find a local overnight trail and involve the kids too for some family bonding time in the wilderness. Don’t forget to take some essential supplies with you on your hike and stay on well used and marked trails to keep safe.

Learn a Musical Instrument

Surprisingly, some studies of the practice of playing an instrument have discovered that it burns a good amount of energy. The guitar, for example, can burn just as many kilojoules as a session of weightlifting and more active instruments like the drums can burn even more. Learning an instrument isn’t just great for keeping your mind occupied and creating an outlet for your creativity, it can even be quite a good exercise if you choose an active instrument. No, the recorder doesn’t count!

Standing up and moving around as an adult can feel like another chore on an already long list but the benefits of frequent and good exercise simply can’t be disputed. So, get active today!